The iconic Mobile World Congress just kicked off today in Barcelona, Spain. It’s the world’s biggest and most influential mobile event organized by GSMA! My friend, tech expert Katie Linendoll joined me for an interview this morning to dish on what’s new in the world of smartphones at the Mobile World Congress, the buzz surrounding the LG G5 smartphone and how you can turn it into a DSLR camera, smartphones and virtual reality, and even a robot that will play with your pets. I’m thinking my dogs and cats need this!

Tech expert Katie Linendoll joined Candace Rose for an interview to dish on the 2016 Mobile World Congress, LG G5 smartphone, virtual reality and more!

Candace Rose: What’s new in the world of smartphones?

Katie Linendoll: “We’re entering this exciting time where every single year Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain – 100,000 people on estimate are expected to attend. What’s cool is it’s kind of like the ultimate fashion show for technology. You get to see all the trends that are happening in smartphones. I actually brought with me today, some of the hardest to please tech websites are calling the most innovative gadgets to come out of Mobile World Congress, and that is LG’s G5. What’s neat about it is yes, of course you see all the features inside here that you would expect from a really great smartphone but the whole trend that is actually offered and why it’s making so much buzz is modular connectivity. I’m going to dive in and show you what that means.” (please see video above for more details and to see Kate Linendoll dish on the amazing LG G5!

Candace Rose: Most of us rely on our smartphones for everything these days. Is there anything else that consumers should look for when purchasing a new smartphone this year?

Katie Linendoll: “We talk about those selfies and those videos and how much we’re sharing content, but it’s amazing how much people are really relying on that camera. I think that is a must have, and we’re talking about that small column of must haves when you’re getting a smartphone – camera is huge. 10 trillion photos are taken on smartphones every single year, and when you can actually enhance the quality of it, have two rear facing cameras for example like this guy here, 16 megapixel/8 megapixel and an 8 megapixel on the front side, that is awesome capability in terms of taking a great shot. It’s a bonus if you have the Cam Pro to add to the G5 to really get that extra great feel hands on.”

Candace Rose: Can you fill us in on the buzz around phones and virtual reality?

Katie Linendoll: “I’m super pumped about VR (virtual reality). It’s such a buzz heading into 2016 and beyond. You can go anywhere from underwater diving with sharks and whales to any Cirque de Soleil show. “Be sure to watch the video to see Katie Linendoll demonstrate the buzz around smartphones and virtual reality, how the G5 will allow you to create your own content and to see her demonstrate it!

Candace Rose: Are there any other must have accessories we need to know about?

Katie Linendoll: “We’re talking about all different types of accessories that you can actually pair with the G5, and I’d be remiss to not talk about this little robot here (please see video above for details) the Rolling Bot. What’s cute about it is this guy can actually run around your home no matter where you’re at. You control it wirelessly using the phone as a remote control. You can take pictures, videos, keep an eye on the place, but you can also turn a pet mode on. Anywhere the bot goes it can actually emit a laser to play with your cat or your dog.

It’s really neat how phones are connecting to more devices, and we talk about the internet of things and how they’re really being used far more than to just make phone calls and text.”